BEN MORGAN: Ukraine’s plan is working – What next?
When he took command of Ukraine’s military in early 2024, General Oleksandr Syrski stated his plan to defeat Russia. It was simple, fight a defensive battle to attrit Russia and create the conditions for victory; either on the battlefield or in negotiations. In other words, Syrskyi’s aim was to trade ground for time and turn defensive battles into ‘meatgrinders’ that inflicted such high casualties on Russian forces that Putin was forced to negotiate. And if he did not; the plan would eventually attrit his forces enough that Ukraine could return to offensive operations.
Since then, Ukraine’s strategy has focussed on attrition at strategic, operational and tactical-level. But is recent month Ukrainian tactical innovations may be starting to create conditions for a transition to offensive operations.
Strategic-level summary
Ukraine’s strategic air campaign uses long-range drones and missiles to demolish Russian oil and gas infrastructure, reducing Russian government revenue and forcing the Kremlin to use cash[i] and gold reserves[ii] to fund the war. The logic is simple because without cash Russia cannot buy material or pay for contract soldiers. Eventually the money will run out and force the Kremlin to either negotiate, or to institute a full mobilisation. The second option is clearly politically dangerous for Putin otherwise he would have used it already.
Operational-level summary
At operational-level Ukraine has systematically instituted its plan. Initially, the main effort was defence – holding positions like Pokrovsk for as long as possible to inflict casualties on Russia. Do not listen to Russian apologists that claim Russia deliberately uses battles like Pokrovsk to attrit Ukraine. History demonstrates that a defensive battle inflicts more casualties on the attacker. In fact, good tacticians use these battles to attrit their opponents before transitioning to offensive operations.
A tactic that was well-demonstrated by the Soviet Union in World War Two, most notably at Stalingrad and Kursk. Huge German armies were ground down and weakened in carefully contrived defensive battles designed specifically to weaken them before Soviet counter-attacks. The argument that it is good tactics to attack a defended position to attrit the defending force is illogical. Good tacticians only attack a prepared defensive position when they absolutely need too.
This phase also included the maturation of Ukraine’s defensive drone tactics. First Person View (FPV) drones evolved from operating in an ad hoclocal fashion, operating as ‘small helicopters’ for units and providing a view ‘over the hill’ or attacking point targets into the essential components of large defensive ‘kill webs.’ Ukraine has now ‘joined up’ its ‘kill webs’ to create a ‘Drone Wall’ that has defeated Russian plans for a 2026 Spring-Summer offensive.
A large Russian offensive has not developed that confirms their main effort but it is likely to be capturing the remainder of Donetsk Oblast.[iii] This would bring the wider Donbas region under Russian control and secure the ‘Fortress Belt’ of cities near Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Capturing this area achieves two objectives; it allows Putin to claim victory because he has ‘liberated’ the Donbas, and control of the Fortress Belt provides a secure base for future operations in Ukraine.
Although Russian forces continue to attack along the whole frontline the heaviest fighting is reported in Donetsk, especially near Kostyantynivka, the southernmost town of the Fortress Belt. Notably, the Institute for the Study of War reports that this operation is supported by extensive information operations that it summarised as follows “Russia appears to be perpetuating sophisticated information operations that use artificial intelligence (AI)-generated footage of flag raisings to fabricate claims of Russian tactical successes in Kostyantynivka.”[iv] Reports supporting the assessment that this area remains Russia’s main effort.
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But there are important changes in the operational-level campaign
In recent weeks there are several important changes in the operational-level situation. The first is the maturation of Ukraine’s medium-range drone strike capability. Ukraine is now able to consistently strike targets 100-150 kms (60-90 miles) behind the frontline.
This results from a combination of Russian air defences being systematically degraded by Ukrainian operations targeting these assets. A campaign with a long history, that continues today with the Kyiv Postrecently reporting that “Drawing on a database of more than 1,530 verified attacks across Russia and occupied Ukraine, the analysis identifies over 492 strikes on air-defense infrastructure between June 2025 and early March 2026, alongside hundreds more targeting A2AD (Anti-Access/Area Denial) assets – the wider systems that support air defense, such as electronic warfare, command systems and missile units.[v]
The second factor is the increasing size and sophistication of Ukraine’s medium-range drones. Longer range, bigger payloads and more sophisticated guidance systems all contribute to Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian targets far behind the front-line. Notably, Ukraine is making extensive use of satellite communications in the ‘sensor-to-shooter’ link. Defence Blog observing that Ukrainian units use Starlink to “operate reconnaissance drones, share targeting data, coordinate fires, and maintain command-and-control links across a front stretching hundreds of kilometers.”[vi]
A digital communications method that produces a new and notable battle in the electro-magnetic spectrum as Russia tries to jam Ukraine’s satellite service. Russia has experimented with jamming systems since 2024, forcing Ukraine to counter by attacking their jammers. Defence Blog reports that a Russian electronic warfare system called ‘Volna Kupol Garant’ designed to jam Starlink by overwhelming transmissions from its satellites is currently being hunted by Ukrainian forces, and that these systems are a priority target.
Ukraine’s ability to strike in-depth means that Russia’s supply lines can be aggressively targeted, and there is even discussion that Ukrainian drones will be able to blockade Crimea. In recent weeks, Ukraine has managed to achieve the following operational-level impacts:
- Ukraine is interdicting Russian logistics, stopping supplies reaching frontline units.[vii] A programme of attacks that Ukraine’s Defence Minister described as a ‘Logistics Lockdown.’[viii] By attacking their logistics Ukraine starves Russia’s frontline units of food, fuel and ammunition. This makes it harder for them to generate the combat power they need to launch attacks.
- Ukraine is threatening Crimea. The peninsular relies on only a few bridges for its supplies of food, fuel and ammunition. The Kerch Bridge provides access from the south. In the north, access is via the Chonhar, Armyansk, Perekop, Arabat Spit and Henichesk Bridges. All of these bridges are being systematically attacked and suffering regular closures. [ix] The impact is to limit military supplies reaching Crimea, isolating and weakening Russian forces stationed there.
It is impossible to know exactly how effective Ukraine’s depth attacks are on Russian logistics but there is a mounting body of reports that indicate they are having an impact. It is also notable that Russia’s forces are currently unable to generate the combat power for large offensive operations, and are being forced to withdraw in some places. An indication that Ukraine’s Logistic Lockdown is working.
My assessment is that Ukraine’s operational-level tactics are impacting on Russian forces by interdicting their main supply route, the R-280, (shown in yellow on the map) from Russia’s main supply hub at Rostov-on-Don to troops in occupied Zaporizhia, Kherson and Crimea. The Guardian reports that “The road, which has been almost completely closed to civilian traffic since late May, is particularly important to Moscow because it constitutes the main land corridor for supplying Russian forces in the south that avoid the exposed Kerch Bridge to Crimea.”[x] Interdiction of this route reduces Russian combat power in the occupied territory, including Crimea. In summary it could create the conditions for a transition to a new phase of operations, and the question is what will Ukraine do?
Ukraine’s next move?
In the last post[xi] we discussed how Putin’s most likely option is to maintain pressure by continuing to recruit contract soldiers, accepting limited operational-level progress in exchange for knowing that Ukraine is being economically depleted. A strategy that will probably be supported by an increase in hybrid operations in the North Sea, Baltic and in NATO countries that supporting Ukraine. The aim us to create a strategic pause that weakens Ukraine by draining its economic resources and that provides time for its international supporters to lose interest. Putin stalling, driving up the expense of the war and waiting for new opportunities to present themselves. So far, this prediction appears to be accurate.
But Putin may find himself needing to respond to Ukraine’s actions rather than Russia being able to set the tempo. Ukraine’s attacks that interdict the flow of supplies to Crimea directly threaten Putin because Crimea is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of his regime. Putin won the strategically important territory back for Russia in 2014. He then built the Kerch Bridge to maintain access, and has now fought a large war to create a land bridge to the territory. Crimea is a place of enormous personal and political importance to him.
Therefore, Ukraine’s plan is probably to use this history against Putin and threaten Crimea with a blockade. This forces Russia to move resources back from the frontline to protect the R 280, the Kerch Bridge, and Melitopol – the key mainland logistic hub for Crimea. A situation that would see Russian air defence and anti-drone assets consolidated further south, reducing coverage of the frontline.
It is unlikely, the Ukraine will risk a large offensive and try to capture Melitopol or other large areas of territory but the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant could provide an interesting option that is worth considering. It is at the edge of Russian territory as well as being a relatively small, discrete and high value target. If Ukraine can get Russia to re-prioritise its counter drone assets to the south, it may be able to achieve local drone supremacy and conduct an operation to recapture the power plant. A small but significant victory.
At operational-level an offensive to recapture the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, or any other attack in the Kherson region serves as a ‘turning manoeuvre’- an attack on a flank that forces the enemy to redeploy their forces away from their main effort. In simple terms, if Ukraine can credibly threaten the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, Melitopol or even Crimea, Russia is forced to divert scarce resources away from Donetsk. A situation that protects Donetsk but that could also translate into Ukraine holding the initiative; able to weaken the Russian line and select the next point of engagement.
However, any offensive operation involves risk so we can be sure that Ukrainian strategists are carefully considering their options. Further, history tells us that if there is a Ukrainian offensive, we may be surprised by its target.
Conclusion
In summary, pressure is mounting on Putin, Russia is starting to suffer economically and the war is not going well. On the frontline, Ukraine’s Drone Wall has stopped Russia’s Spring-Summer 2026 offensive and their longer-range drones are interdicting the flow of logistics.
Ukraine is now in the driver’s seat and will set the tempo of the next phase of the war. How they do that is still uncertain but their air campaign appears to be impacting on Russian logistics and is likely to create opportunities for offensive operations.
The question now is whether Ukraine will strike, or if it will slowly strangle Russia’s forces from a distance. Based on Ukraine’s history, we should be prepared for something unexpected.
Thanks for reading my work. If you like this content and want to support it you can ‘Buy me a Coffee’ here – buymeacoffee.com/benmorgan
Ben Morgan is TDBs Military Blogger
Now, when how it will end is becoming clearer, comes a video documentary from the early days of the Ukraine war on how it all began.
From YouTube:
Uncensored Footage From The Frontlines Of Ukraine
All Out Warfare
45.4K subscriber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7asAFFIEVs
>i>’One Year Into The Biggest Armed Conflict In Europe Since The Second World War….
From The Strategic Stands At Hostomel Airport To The Severe Tragedies In Bucha, We Examine How Putin’s “Special Military Operation” Transformed Into A Modern Meat Grinder. Featuring Uncensored Frontline Footage, Ground Survivor Testimonies, And Crucial Historical Connections To The Soviet Era, This Film Delivers The Definitive Geopolitical Account Of Ukraine’s Ferocious Defense.’
Sometimes wars end when one side defeats the other, sometimes wars end when one or both sides can no longer fight.
In WW1 the use of barbed-wire and machine guns and massed artillery turned the Western front into a static industrial scale killing field. Even minor advances, by either side, could only be made with huge casualties.
The First World War ended on the Eastern Front in 1917 when the Russian army heeded the Bolsheviks call to turn their guns against the Czar. Fighting stopped on the Western Front in 1918, after mass fraternisation and refusal to fight as well as numerous sporadic soldier uprisings, the most famous being the Kiel mutiny, when on October 29, 1918, sailors in Wilhelmshaven refused orders to launch a final suicidal attack against the British. The Kiel Mutiny sparked the November Revolution in Germany. On November 9, 1918 the Kaiser was overthrown ending all fighting on the German side. Unable to prosecute the war any further, both sides signed the Armistice on November 11,
In Ukraine drone warfare has turned the contact line between the invading Russian forces and the defending Ukrainian armed forces, into a static industrial scale killing field. Even minor advances, by either side, can only be made with huge casualties.
Comparing WW1 with the Ukraine War;
The length of the static front in WW1
The Western Front in World War I was approximately 700 to 765 kilometers long. It stretched from Nieuwpoort on the Belgian coast of the North Sea all the way to the Swiss border in the south……
The length of the static front in the Ukraine war
The front or line of contact between Russian and Ukrainian forces is appproximately 1,200 to 1,218 kilometers long. It stretches from the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in the north all the way to the Dnipro River delta on the coast of the Black Sea in the south……
Width of the kill zone WW1
No Man’s Land on the Western Front typically averaged about 230 meters across. However, its width varied drastically based on geography and the tactical situation, ranging from just 6.4 meters apart in extremely close sectors like Zonnebeke , to nearly half a kilometer at Cambrai…..
The width of the kill zone Ukraine war
The “kill zone” is approximately 20 to 30 kilometers. Due to saturation strike and surveilance drones. Neither side can mass infantry or heavy armor within this area without being immediately spotted and destroyed. In some sectors, vehicle movement is denied in up to 25 kilometers, while infantry kill zones range anywhere from 500 meters to 10 kilometers wide…..
The static front is longer, the kill zone is wider. I am no expert but just at glance I would say that the chance of either side making an advance anywhere along this much longer front and wider kill zone are even less possible than it was in WW1.
The comparison between WW1 and the Ukraine war has been made before by others, a static line of contact that is a massive industrial scale technological human meat grinder in which neither side can advance, or only advance with massive losses for every meter of ground won.
Apart from the static front line, the other main theatre of the war in Ukraine, is the long range drone and missile war being waged between the two countries.
After enduring more than four years of bombardment by Russia forces, the Ukrainian people have proved their resiliency, now it is time for the Russian people’s turn. I wonder if they will do as well.
If the the First World War is any guide, then the question becomes, which side will turn against their leaders first?
The front line is far from static, Pat. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are dying in the interests of Western hegemony, thousands of Russians are dying as well, not that this matters to the West. Russia is dominating the battlefield, more than ever before, hence why Western focus is on non battlefield conflict.
If only we all knew how much carnage Ukraine is suffering on the battlefield because then, we the people, could finally get back to doing what we once did – advocate for peace and an end to war!
But we don’t now, we know sweet fcuk all, apart from the rubbish our beloved politicians and the mainstream media machine that advances their political interests, misinforms the majority of us on.
Tragic, but this is only one war. Our war against the Middle East is even more tragic and our war with China is simmering in the background.
One force rules the world, one force is raging war on the entire world…guess who that could be….
“Russia is dominating the battlefield, more than ever before,……..” AO
I mean, really?
You couldn’t get a statement about the war in Ukraine more divorced from reality than the above.
Even Pro-war ultranationalist Russian milbloggers, don’t believe this bullshit, while they may stop short of saying Russia is losing the war, “Z-bloggers” will often criticise claims like the one made by AO, above.
I guess, AO just can’t stray from the Kremlin and Washington script, that Ukraine is being defeated.
https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/z-bloggers-expose-the-harsh-reality-of-russia-s-stalled-invasion-50598578.html
RIMPAC 26
Begining this month the NZDF have been in training with the US military currently committing extrajudicial murders in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean, bombing boats allegedly smuggling narcotics
At the invitation of the United States, Israel sent a small number of IDF personal to participate in the planning and the command of the combined warships, aircraft, and the large land-force of RIMPAC 26
The Luxon government have placed New Zealand service men and women under the command of a US officer corps being investigated by the UN for carrying out illegal killings, and under the command of IDF officers of Israel on trial at the world court for committing genocide.
What surprises me is how long it has taken Ukrain to bomb the shit out of Crimea .Nice close easy target blow the bridges and rail along with the port, game over and a bruising for Putin .Then work your way up from there and mop up the rest of your land that has been messed with .
What surprises me is how long it is taking for it to dawn on Putin that this war is unwinnable.
Already Putin’s ill fated SMO has lasted longer than the WW1 and is on track to last longer than WW2.
These attacks are – “aimed at diverting our attention and forces from achieving the main objectives: the complete liberation of Donbas and Novorossiya,”
“…..our counter-strikes deep into Ukrainian territory are much stronger, have greater impact and are, frankly, more destructive. Given their catastrophic shortage of personnel, the Ukrainian Armed Forces apparently believe this could be their salvation. But saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans.” Vladimir Putin
‘Frankly’, the Russian dictator is beginning to look like an idiot.
“Since the start of the full-scale war, the Russian army has been given as many as 15 deadlines for capturing our Donetsk region. Russia’s political leadership remains obsessed with Donbas. They have entertained this delusion – that they would fully capture Donbas – 15 times already,” Volodimir Zelensky
Sad but predictable response. Sad because when someone advocates for bombing the shyt out of a given place, then a high likelihood of civilian casualties may result. Predictable because we, Westerners, have become conditioned into not caring about the consequences of our – bomb the crap out of a place – mentality. No wonder there’s little, if any, push back against Israeli genocide, and more, by Western politicians. The very same politicians that have conditioned most Westerners into believing that Putin/Russia is everything bad under the sun. Makes you wonder, huh, who the bad guys really are when you look at the behavior of Western politicians towards Israel and then towards Russia.
Otherwise, the Russia v Ukraine war is a walk in the park for Russia, relative to the Russia v NATO, via Ukraine, war that Russia is currently fighting. But of course, of course, of course, our beloved politicians would suggest I am full of shyt in terms of my view of this conflict, but again, they are the very same pollies that bury their heads in the sand in regards to Israel.
Who is right and who is wrong…..
Whats the game here? that allows O’Dea to rattle off this propaganda, while controlling the comment in opposition?
What’s the game here, with anonymous pro-Kremlin trolls, and conspiracy theories? That confleate my exposure of pro=imperialist, pro-war propaganda, from both sides of the imperialist divide, with controlling opposition comment?
Can’t take the exposure?
Anonymous pro-Kremlin troll, Remo and his ilk are not in opposition to Ben Morgan, they are in agreement with him that there needs to be another devastating world war to re-divide, the world heteen them..
The fact that the adjudication of the comment stream does not post answers in rebuttal, at the time of them, says more than enough of who you are and what is going on at TDB.
exactly
This bullshit was firest trotted out as an excuse for Russia’s initial invasion Ukraine, the conspiracy alleged that Ukraine with US funding was creating a bio weapon thtat only killed Russians. Total arrant nonsense, all human beings are so closely related genetically that creating s weapon that targets just one group of people is paranoid fantasy.
Bio weapons are indiscriminate weapons, they cannot be targetted against one specific group of humans and leave other groups untouched.
Speaking of indiscriminate weapons.
The Hague Convention formulated in 1925 specically proscribes the use of indiscriminate weapons as a war crime.
The Kremlin troll farm retreading the Ukraine bio-weapons conspiracy theory, is not coincidental,.
Dmitry Medvedev says “it is time” for Russia to ignore the Hague Convention on the use of indiscriminate weapons.
Dmitry Medvedev; “….the Hague Conventions on the laws and customs of war as well.
They are no longer needed.”
The “destruction” of civilians with indiscriminate weapons may not be ‘intentional”, or “deliberate”. Indiscriminate weapons “destruction of civliians” is an inescapable side effect of indiscriminate weapons.
Indiscriminate, means indiscriminate. Deliberate or not, Dmitry Medvedev warns us of the indiscriminate, (but unintentional) destruction of civilians.
>b>‘Only one thing must remain beyond the pale for us — the deliberate destruction of civilians.
‘I emphasise “deliberate,” meaning clearly intentional. Dmitry Medvedev
“It is time”, Dmitry Medvedev
(to “openly” commit war crimes)
…Dmitry Medvedev – formerly Russian president and prime minister – ‘It is time to openly declare that there are no longer, nor can there be, any rules regarding neo-Nazi Kyiv.’
This is due to ‘the enemy’s massive terrorist attacks on our cities,’
‘Only one thing must remain beyond the pale for us — the deliberate destruction of civilians.
‘I emphasise “deliberate,” meaning clearly intentional.
‘Everything else is entirely permissible, no matter how much the degenerate from Bankova [meaning Zelensky] and his b****** European chorus line howl.’
….’This applies, incidentally, to the Hague Conventions on the laws and customs of war as well.
‘They are no longer needed…..
….’Unlike that vile old hag Europe – which has descended into neo-Nazism – Russia will not be creating concentration camps for Europeans.
‘And not because it is immoral, but simply because, in the event of a war with some snot-nosed Dutchmen, such camps would be unnecessary.’
……’Radioactive bones and ash are usually buried deep in the ground.’……
The Hague Convention covers the methods of war. The Geneva Convention covers the protection of civlians in war
The Hague Convention forbids the use of indiscriminate weapons, The Geneva Convention forbids ‘the deliberate destruction of civilians’..
In 1925 the Hague Convention specifically forbids the use of gas weapons as a banned indiscriminate weapon of warfare.
The Hague Convention specificatly forbids the use of weapons, projectiles, or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering. This includes expanding, dum dum, or hollow point bullets.
Dimitry Medvedev states that it is time for Russia to abandon the Hague Convention, adding that one thing remains beyond the pale, “the deliberate destruction of civilians”.
The significance of Medvedev’s statement is this;
Russia is reserving to itself the right to use banned indiscriminate weapons of war, gas, nuclear, radiological. The use of indiscriminate weapons, even if aimed against a military target will also cause the “destruction” of civilians even if civilians are not the deliberate target, hence Medvede’s needed adedenum, about not causing “the deliberate destruction of civlians”. Deliberate or not this is what Medvedev says it is time for Russia to do.
“Radioactive bones and ash are usually buried deep in the ground” Dmitry Medvedev
What he is saying, or implying, is that it is time to act like the West. It is time to do to the West, what they are doing to us (Russia), what they have done to Palestine, what they have done to all the countries they have colonized and or taken control of.
It is time to act like the West. Russia says no, despite what he says.
Nothing succeeds like success.
Russians ask why Russian news media gave no news reports on the drone attacks on Moscow.
And were told the news blackout was to avoid the spread of misinformation.
The spread of information, not misinformation, is what the Kremlin wants to avoid.
From YouTube:
Peskov SHAMEFUL statement after Moscow attack! Kremlin’s reaction is stunning. Trump responds
War & Politics 24
219K subscribers
22K views
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8dd8h8J3fw
@19:00 minutes:
……amazing signals uh I think I see both in NATO and in themeeting of G7 because those signals are that both organizations are on one page.
Prior to the meeting of defense ministers in NATO, I managed to ask uh Mark Rubio myself; “What do you think about the Ukrainian deep strikes in Russia?”
Does does NATO support those deep strikes especially after that phone conversation of President Trump with President Zelenski, and with Putin. because after that, Washington expressed the idea that those strikes might hinder peace and the peace process. This was before the attack on Moscow. And what did Mark Rut tell me? He said; “We all think Ukraine needs to continue fighting and we are willing to help with that. And I think the G7 statement yesterday signed by all heads of state and government present in this beautiful French town is very clear on this.
So maybe I can just refer to the statement, I think it gives you the clarity that we agree on this, that we have to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay strong.”
This is I think, extremely important words by the Ssecretary General and Mark Rubio, because this tells me, and and I think tells everyone, that the G7 and NATO are on the same page, and the text that we saw by the G7, signed by all parties, by everyone, member states and everyone present, It’s a very powerful way of supporting Ukraine and powerful words that will result in action…..
Back down, or commit genocide?
Faced with this question in Vietnam, Nixon chose to back down and withdrew all US troops.
Faced with this question in Egypt, Mubarak chose to step down, and agree to democratic elections
Faced with this question in Syria Assad chose to commit genocide.
Faced with this question in Gaza Netanyahu chose to commit genocide.
Trump tells the Israelis you can’t kill you way out of every problem.
Then threatens to kill his way out of his problems with Iran.
From the Independent:
Fox’s Trey Yingst reported Sunday that in an early morning phone call, the U.S. president said he’d warned Iranian officials directly that “you close [the Strait of Hormuz] and you won’t have a country.”
“You won’t even make it back to your f***** country,” Yingst said the president claimed to have relayed to the Iranians….
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-iran-threat-hormuz-ceasefire-b2999930.html
Meanwhile Putin’s deputy threatens to abandon the rules of war.
Colonise the climate, and get Climate collapse. Colonise the world, and get World War 3
These imperialist leaders can’t get it through their thick fucking heads that, (one way or another) the age of imperialism is coming to a close..
One way or another.
Commit genocide and you will still lose.
From the Daily Mail:
Russia will abandon rules of war says Putin deputy raising nuclear strike fears after Ukraine humiliated Moscow with devastating oil refinery attack
Elizabeth Haigh and Will Stewart
20 June 2026
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15915837/Russia-abandon-rules-war-Putin-nuclear-strike-Ukraine.html
…Dmitry Medvedev – formerly Russian president and prime minister – ‘It is time to openly declare that there are no longer, nor can there be, any rules regarding neo-Nazi Kyiv.’
This is due to ‘the enemy’s massive terrorist attacks on our cities,’
‘Only one thing must remain beyond the pale for us — the deliberate destruction of civilians.
‘I emphasise “deliberate,” meaning clearly intentional.
‘Everything else is entirely permissible, no matter how much the degenerate from Bankova [meaning Zelensky] and his b****** European chorus line howl.’
….’This applies, incidentally, to the Hague Conventions on the laws and customs of war as well.
‘They are no longer needed…..
….’Unlike that vile old hag Europe – which has descended into neo-Nazism – Russia will not be creating concentration camps for Europeans.
‘And not because it is immoral, but simply because, in the event of a war with some snot-nosed Dutchmen, such camps would be unnecessary.’
……’Radioactive bones and ash are usually buried deep in the ground.’……
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: ‘We don’t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it. But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.’…
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15915837/Russia-abandon-rules-war-Putin-nuclear-strike-Ukraine.html
A US intelligence release of new information about American-funded biolabs in Ukraine confirms Russia’s suspicions that the research had a military dimension, the Russian Ministry of Defense has said.
Last week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a statement regarding a network of 120 laboratories in 30 countries, including Ukraine. She said the disclosure was intended to set the record straight after what she described as a deliberate cover-up by previous administrations.
Gabbard confirmed that some of the facilities were involved in gain-of-function research, a controversial field aimed at making pathogens more dangerous, ostensibly to help develop vaccines before similar mutations arise naturally. Russia and other countries have long argued that such studies can serve as a cover for military programs banned under the Biological Weapons Convention.
“We consider the published documents to be the latest proof that the Kiev regime is violating its obligations under the Convention,” General Aleksey Rtishchev, head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, said during a briefing on Friday.
“All the accusations that the Russian Federation is spreading disinformation and engaging in hybrid warfare to deceive the international community are absolutely false,” he added.
Rtishchev was responding to Western officials and media outlets that have dismissed previous Russian claims on the issue as “propaganda.” Moscow says a complex network of public and private entities was used to obscure the aims of laboratory work in Ukraine.
The Russian briefing came hours after another disclosure by Gabbard, this one focused on the possible role of gain-of-function research in the origins of Covid-19. She accused Dr. Anthony Fauci, who served as a White House adviser on the pandemic under two US administrations, of steering investigations toward the natural-origin theory, allegedly to protect himself.
Fauci directed US funding of research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology while serving as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022.
https://www.rt.com/russia/641834-russia-biolabs-vindicated-mod/
Seer, this story has been thoroughly debunked.
I’m not sure why you would share it here.
Because he has no choice in the matter, it doesn’t matter that it has been debunked – Kremlin troll farm employees are forced to retread the same tired old Kremlin excuses for invading Ukraine, ad nuseam
‘Debunked”.
The simplistic, ‘white-wash’ generality of this comment, is teeth-grindingly familiar to anyone studying ‘the conspiracies’ and how complex forensics are relegated to La La land. What ‘story’ has been debunked? Who by? What ‘intelligence’ agency or grifter hooked into the think tank circuit debunked it? What is a ‘Story’, as it relates to geopolitik and covert operations that end up killing people; innocent people…to be ‘debunked in one lousy statement like this? What is ‘bunking’ anyway, to be deflowered so simply? It is an orthodoxy. A propaganda. A process of narratives at the top end created by experts running sophisticated ‘IIO’ [Inform and Influence Operations] in ‘spy-vs-spy’ game theory. These are the ‘stories’ the ‘debunking’ shill customarily urge us to agree with and if not — throw in ‘Kremlin troll farms’.
Ukraine blows the lid off an oil storage tank in Moscow
The memes are glorious.
https://prm.ua/en/mr-drone-i-take-my-hat-off-memes-flooded-the-network-after-the-attack-on-moscow/
The Russia’s giant imperialist vampire squid jams its blood funnel into Africa
Russia’s Deceptive War Recruitment Scheme Ensnares Thousands of Young Africans
By the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
May 19, 2026
https://africacenter.org/spotlight/russia-deceptive-war-recruitment-ensnares-africans/
Russia’s bait-and-switch conscription of Africans for its war in Ukraine exposes an extensive pipeline of human trafficking, coercion, and foreign interference that is exploiting vulnerable job seekers…..
…..Russia has built a deceptive recruitment pipeline that preys on African job seekers and students, channeling them into Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Investigations reveal a recurring pattern. Young Africans are promised civilian work, sports opportunities, study programs, or legal status in Russia, only to arrive and be pressured to sign Russian-language military contracts.
This scheme is intended to address Russia’s growing shortage of foot soldiers. Moscow needs roughly 30,000–35,000 new recruits each month to offset battlefield losses along the 1,200-km front line while avoiding a politically risky general mobilization of the Russian population…..
From Al Jazeera:
‘Our children were sold off’: The South Africans sent to fight Russia’s war
Men ‘lured’ into fighting in the Ukraine war say Africans were subjected to worse treatment on the front lines.
By Chris Makhaye
5 Mar 2026
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/5/our-children-were-sold-off-the-south-africans-sent-to-fight-russias-war
Durban, South Africa – When Sipho Dlamini* stepped off a plane from Russia, returning home to the South African port city of Durban last week, he carried nothing but the clothes on his back…..
….Dlamini is one of more than a dozen South Africans repatriated from Russia, where they say they were lured under false pretences and thrust onto the front lines of the war in Ukraine – mirroring the experience of other African men from countries including Kenya and Zimbabwe.
In November last year, it came to light that several South Africans aged between 20 and 39 had been sent to Russia for what they believed would be security training. But soon after, they were conscripted into a paramilitary group and sent to fight in Ukraine.
At the centre of the controversy is Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla – a daughter of South Africa’s former president, Jacob Zuma – who resigned as a lawmaker in December after she was implicated in the recruitment drive and the police opened an investigation against her.
The recruits, many from the Zumas’ home region of Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, returned after current President Cyril Ramaphosa reached out to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for support in the matter, the presidency said last week…….
…..“We were told we’d be trained as VIP bodyguards,” said Thabo Khumalo*, a 28-year-old who told Al Jazeera that Zuma-Sambudla and her stepmother were at the forefront of recruiting the men.
“Initially, she pretended to be going to Russia to receive us. But later we learned she had never left South Africa, even though she pretended to be on the front line in our WhatsApp chat group,” he said. “That’s how we ended up in the trenches.”
Thulani Mahlangu, a spokesperson for the returnees’ families, says Zuma-Sambudla, 43, and her associates were allegedly paid at least 14 million rand (about $845,000) by Russia’s Wagner Group to secure the services of the men.
“Our children were sold off,” said one parent. “They were promised jobs, but instead they were used.”
In a statement that Zuma-Sambudla submitted to police last year, she claimed she had been a “victim” herself, alleging she was deceived by promises of lucrative security contracts in Russia.
After the story first broke in South African media, Zuma‑Sambudla was forced to step down from her position in parliament, where she represented her father’s opposition uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party….
…..while former President Zuma’s own attempts to secure the men’s release failed. It was Ramaphosa who eventually convinced Putin to allow their repatriation…..
…..At the start of their contracts in Russia, several of the men told Al Jazeera, they were paid a lump sum of 80,000 rand (about $4,800) – money they quickly sent home when they realised the conditions of their employment.
“I gave it to my mother immediately,” Khumalo said. “I thought I’d die there.”
In Russia, the recruits were issued military uniforms and weapons, and given barely a week of basic drills, they said.
We were cannon fodder. Some of us didn’t even know how to fire properly before they pushed us forward,” Khumalo said….
…..More than 1,400 citizens from 36 African countries had been identified among the Russian ranks, Ukraine’s foreign minister said in November. Among those who have died on the front lines are casualties from Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and other nations, according to reports….
….Cameroon has reported dozens of deaths, while Zimbabwe and South Africa have also confirmed fatalities among their citizens…..
…..After Pretoria opened up diplomatic channels with Moscow, the South African men were repatriated in two separate batches – first four returned, then 11 a week later.
But not all came home unscathed: One returned in a wheelchair while another lost his leg in a drone strike and ended up in a Russian hospital, Mahlangu, the spokesperson for the families said.
Two South Africans are also known to have died in Russia, the government said last week…..
From YouTube:
How were so many Africans lured to fight for Russia?
BBC News Africa
1.91M subscribers
263K views Jun 9, 2026
Produced and filmed by Hassan Lali
Produced and edited by Kathy Harcombe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B6hNvpqwbI&t=13s
…..for one group, the uncertainty is even deeper: those who’ve been captured.
The BBC’s Sammy Awami gained rare access to a prisoner-of-war facility in western Ukraine, where African men are now caught between war, politics, and an uncertain future…..
Do these sound like the tactics an imperialist super-power confident of winning the war in Ukraine?
Or do they feel more like the desparate acts of a flailing wannabe imperialist power?
Guerilla Surgeon says:
18 June 2026 at 12:25 pm
“….Russia has a far greater population base than Ukraine”
Yup. That’s true. The implication being that Russia will win because Russia is bigger and therefore more powerful than Ukaine.
It’s a false premise.
The Soviet Union was big, but bigger is not better. In 1991 the Soviet Union fell apart and ceased to exist almost overnight.
Guerilla Surgeon asks us; “Do we know what’s going to happen if both countries fully mobilise?”
Yes ‘we’ do. Because, Ukraine is already fully mobilised.
From Wikipedia
General mobilization in Ukraine was announced on February 24, 2022, in connection with the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukrai…Wikipedia Show all
Ukraine has been under a state of general mobilization and martial law since February 24, 2022, which legally prohibits most military-aged men from leaving the country and requires them to be available for conscription.
The mobilization and conscription system operates as follows.
Age and Conscription:
All Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are considered liable for military service.
From DW News
Ongoing Enforcement:
The military continuously updates its system to replenish troop numbers, balance frontline rotations, and track draft dodgers using a combination of the Reserve+ app, the ‘Obereg’ electronic register, and on-the-ground recruitment patrols.
Economic Mobilization:
The broader Ukrainian state economy has also been heavily reorganized to sustain the military, with the government explicitly gearing production toward defense needs.5 sitesUkraine’s economy fully mobilised for war production,
……Mobilisation Units go after draft dodgers
…..military is facing an acute manpower crisis as the war with Russia drags on desertions are at critical levels
So We know how full mobilisation is going in Ukraine. And it’s not great.
But we also know how partial mobilisation is going in Russia. And it’s not great either.
Just the prospect of forced deployment caused hundreds of thousands of Russian men to flee to neighboring countries like Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EeChXfDMPg
Rather than declaring a full mobilization, the Kremlin has been financially incentivizing volunteers, and then extending the contracts of the volunteers from what was initially agreed.
In response, mothers and wives of the volunteers have been protesting against the extension of the deployment of the men on the front lines past their agreed contracts.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-07/wives-and-mothers-of-mobilised-soldiers-challenge-vladimir-putin/103520022
Other recruitment methods being used by the Kremlin short of full mobilisation.
Offering full pardons to prison recruits.
Initially, Russia offered full, formal presidential pardons and expunged criminal records in exchange for a 6-month combat tour in Ukraine. Now convicts have to sign indefinite military contracts to receive a pardon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3k0ivwENf0&t=36s
Recruiting Syrian and Africans.
https://www.euronews.com/2026/06/18/moscow-uses-russian-houses-in-africa-to-lure-recruits-into-war-in-ukraine-investigation-sh
Calling on North Korea, Russia’s ally to send troops.
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/north-korea-confirms-sent-troops-russia-calling-heroes-rcna203245
While Ukraine admittedly has big problems with full mobilisation, the big multi-ethnic Russian Federation’s problems with full mibilsation will be even greater, possibly even leading to further break up of the Russian empire.
Neither country is fully mobilised for various reasons. Russia is not going to be able to fully mobilise until the “Rodina”is in danger. Which it isn’t. Ukraine can’t fully mobilise either, given that a lot of people simply don’t seem to want to fight, and it needs to pay for the war, partly from taxes. It’s all very well to say that you’re fully mobilised but we know that hasn’t happened.
I suggest that until it actually happens which it won’t, we still won’t know.
Guerilla Surgeon says:
20 June 2026 at 5:05 pm
Neither country is fully mobilised……
Whatever.
Ukrainian males between 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country during martial law.
https://dopomoha.org.ua/en/exceptions-to-the-restriction-which-prohibits-men-to-leave-the-territory-of-ukraine/
Compulsory enlistment in Ukraine begins at age 25 years, (reduced from age 27 in April 2024).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Ukraine#
Under martial law, all Ukrainian males between the ages of 25 and 60 are subject to mandatory mobilization.
https://us.dk/media/1lfhoulf/ukraine-mobiliseringentryexitfinal.pdf
Enlistment for 18–24-year-olds and over 60’s is voluntary.
Ukrainian men over 60 can enlist if they pass a medical exam and receive a unit commander’s approval.
There is no compulsory drafting of individuals over 60, or under 25.
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-zelenskyy-signs-law-for-over-60s-to-join-military/live-73445167
From CNN:
Russia’s overwhelming manpower advantage against Ukraine is starting to wane
By Lauren Kent
Jun 14, 2026
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/14/europe/russia-manpower-problem-ukraine-war-intl
What would you do with an $80,000 bonus, more than quadruple the amount of an average annual salary? Or with $140,000 in debt relief?….
…..this is the first war in Russia’s history in which the state is paying citizens to fight rather than forcing them – and that is leading to economic strain and manpower issues.
…..Putin will likely be forced to make more unpopular decisions this year if he wants to continue his invasion of Ukraine.
After all, if a potential military recruit was unwilling to take a hefty signing bonus last year, it is unclear what would make them change their mind now,
…..forced mobilization of troops, coupled with measures like curtailing the freedom of citizens to leave the country – particularly men of conscription age. That’s something Putin has been keen to avoid, after the first “partial mobilization” proved hugely unpopular and caused many Russians to emigrate…..
The point is this; Russian men of conscription age that, have not voluntarilly enlisted, are not any more likely to want to enlist, now.
Excellent rebuttal, Pat.
Recent news suggests that Russia has begun small-scale forced mobilisation. It will be interesting to see how that goes down with the public.
Regardless of numbers, the average Russian soldier receives minimal training, very poor support through degraded logistics and with often incompetent tactical orders. Also, moral among the troops is very low.
Regardless , Ukraine has more than enough drones and pilots to destroy any new conscripts.
No matter what, Putin is doomed.
“Ukraine’s plan is working – What next?”
Well, call me ignorant and old fashioned if you must but I’d say Europe will become flat, it will smoulder and will glow in the dark.
And all this because of one old man who paints his wattles orange.
Is this Hell during a comic opera phase? Something like Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado’s Three Little Maids. Think trump, putin and zelensky in drag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXWkIZUPmDY
countryboy says:
19 June 2026 at 9:38 am
“….all this because of one old man who paints his wattles orange.”
“…..like Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado’s Three Little Maids. Think trump, putin and zelensky in drag”
Being serious for a minute.
This is not about the individual leaders.
Imperialism is an economic system based on eternal limitless growth. While these leaders may reflect that mantra, they are only servants of it.
But as Greenpeace say; “Infinite growth is impossible on a finite planet”
Imperialists disregard this fact and readily crash through all man made and natural borders in their reckless pursuit of endless growth. Pollution/climate change, war – Colonise humanity, colonise nature, is disaster for both.
These leaders look crazy and reckless to us, they have to be crazy and reckless, because the economic imperialism they serve is crazy and requires leaders that are reckless.
Yes Private Morgan, the plan is to surround the Chinese. Indeed they do have all the gallium and rare earths, so forget modern weaponry, we will be using a viciously sharp slice of mango.
“History demonstrates that a defensive battle inflicts more casualties on the attacker.”
History also demonstrates that Russia has a far greater population base than Ukraine. Do we know what’s going to happen if both countries fully mobilise? A lot of people trying to avoid service that’s for sure in both countries. Maybe more resistance to the war in Russia though.
The headstone on humanity will read ” They seemed like a good idea at the time.”
( Not one of mine.)
Yesterday, June 17 2026, US Southern Command carried out another bloody missile strike on a small boat in the Eastern Pacific.
The US Navy Southern Command said the strike killed one person and left two survivors.
The Southern command did not order a second strike to kill the survivors, but also made no effort to rescue them.
Southern Command said that they had notified the US Coast Guard to conduct a search for the survivors.
No report has been released that the two survivors were found and rescued by the US Coast Guard, or what became of them.
My guess, they were left to drown.
From ABC News:
US strike on an alleged drug boat kills 1, leaves 2 survivors in the eastern Pacific Ocean
The U.S. military has attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one man and leaving two survivors
ByThe Associated Press
June 17, 2026
https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/us-strike-alleged-drug-boat-kills-1-leaves-133946763
The U.S. military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, killing one man and leaving two survivors, as the Trump administration continues its monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.
The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 208 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September…..
…..The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed a boat traveling in the water before being hit by the strike and bursting into flames……
,,,,Southern Command said it “immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors.”
…The strikes have drawn intense scrutiny from some Democratic lawmakers and military legal scholars. The U.S. military’s first strike in early September drew particular concern from some lawmakers and those who study military law.
Two men on the boat initially survived the attack that killed nine others, and they were clinging to the wreckage when the vessel was struck again, killing them. The White House confirmed the follow-up strike, insisting it was done “in self-defene” to ensure the boat was destroyed and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict……
I mention this here because, in line with Ben Morgan’s policy of covering up US atrociities, I know Ben Morgan will mention it nowhere.
It quite possible that the US warship that carried out this latest attack in the Easterm Pacific will be involved in the RIMPAC SINKEX training of the the HMNZS Te Mana commanded by JK Thompson.
Sick stuff